Tetovo, 29 February 2024 (MIA) — Additional Deputy Minister of Interior Mitko Bojmacaliev told reporters in Tetovo that 85,000 passport booklets with the new name of the country would arrive by Friday morning, MIA's Tetovo correspondent reports.

According to Additional Deputy Interior Minister Bojmacaliev, the national travel document issuance system was operating without any problems.

"As we have informed the Macedonian public, at first 50,000, then 20,000 booklets arrived a while ago. Another 140,000 booklets arrived a week ago, and now 85,000 booklets are arriving later tonight or tomorrow morning," Bojmacaliev said.

"We are reaching that round figure of 300,000 booklets, which is enough for the system to operate smoothly. These are the numbers. These are the facts. The booklets are arriving," he said, adding that "there is neither sabotage nor chaos."

"There was only false propaganda, attempting to score political points by saying that the Prespa Agreement will be called off and misleading citizens," Bojmacaliev said.

He reiterated that travel with old name passports was impossible because citizens without new name passports were not allowed out of the country.

"Citizens know that passports were being issued with the Republic of North Macedonia name even before July 2021," Bojmacaliev noted, "and it was clearly stated that [old name passports] would be valid until February 2024." mr/